Monthly Archives: January 2014

Gift Box USA – Media Coverage

Listen to and read about Gift Box USA.  This is the initiative of the NGO Committee to Stop Trafficking in Person.  Click here

Read more  GIFT Box USA Press Release_1.28.14

Gift Box 10

A photo of the volunteers staffing the GIFT Box, explaining to passersby and accepting signatures for stop trafficking in person campaign at Union Square, NY.  Today, because of sub-zero temperatures the Gift Box is not open.

Another write up here   Council of Family and Child Caring Agencies

UNICEF USA

In honor of National Human Trafficking Awareness Month, the U.S. Fund for UNICEF launched out second End Trafficking public awareness campaign this month. Our focus this year will be on helping people understand and address factors that make children in the U.S. vulnerable to trafficking.

We invite you to visit and share our webpage www.unicefusa.org/endtrafficking where you’ll be able to:

Follow @EndTraffick on Twitter and join the End Trafficking Google+ Community to learn about upcoming events including our participation in the UN GIFT Box in Union Square.

Regional Outreach Latin American and Caribbean Countries on the Work of the Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Finance

Good Shepherd was privileged to have Marta Iris chosen as one of the NGO’s to make a statement promoting the social protection floors and indicating sources of finance for sustainable development.   While the official documentation is in Spanish see bottom of the page for Marta’s statement in Spanish and English.  Read here Official documentation from CEPAL/ECLAC

 

Statement to Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Finance – ECLAC

———- Mensaje reenviado ———-
De: Marta López <milc29@gmail.com>
Fecha: 31 de diciembre de 2013, 15:43
Asunto: Re: Invitación Regional Outreach Latin American and Caribbean Countries on the Work of the Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Finance – CEPAL
Para: Carolina.JARA@cepal.org

Estimada Señora:

Adjunto carta  invitación a la reunión “Regional Outreach Latin American and Caribbean Countries on the Work of the Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Finance“, que se llevará a cabo el día 15 de enero de 2014, en la sede de CEPAL en Santiago. 
Sin otro particular, saluda atentamente,  

Marta IrisMarta Iris represented Good Shepherd at ECLAC the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean.  She delivered a statement on behalf of the Congregation contributing to the ‘Work of the Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Finance’ for the region.  The Statement is attached here in Spanish and English GS Presentation ECLAC January 2014  It urges implementation of National Floors of Social Protection and points to where finance could be available if there was strong political will to reallocate resources.

Good Shepherd Statement to the Commission on Social Development now published

The Good Shepherd Statement to the Commission for Social Development is now published in the 6 official languages of the United Nations .

N1357408 Statement Spanish CSocD RGS 2014                                        N1357404 Statement Chinese CSocD RGS 2014                                  N1357407 Statement Russian CSocD RGS 2014                                      N1357403 Statement Arabic CSocD RSG 2014                              N1357404 Statement Chineese CSocD RGS 2014                            N1357405 Statement English CSocD RGS 2014

The Priority theme of the Commission in 2014 is:                                   “Promoting empowerment of people in achieving poverty eradication, social integration and full employment and decent work for all“.

The Emerging issues: the social drivers of sustainable development.

Issues concerning special groups – Persons with Disabilities, Youth, Aging and Family will also be addressed.  For more information and the reports prepared for the Commission can be read HERE

Our statement references the work done in the Democratic Republic of Congo with a focus on empowerment of the local people.  The statement is identifying systems and structures of power that actually keep people in poverty and deny them access to decent work.

“Empowerment happens when individuals and organized groups are able to imagine their world differently and to realize that vision by changing the relations of power that have kept them in poverty, restricted their voice and deprived them of their autonomy.”  Read Duncan Greens background paper ”The role of the State in empowering poor and excluded groups and individuals” .   We are looking at the centrality of “power” to empowerment.  The statement ends with a question ‘have Governments the political will and determination to enter into dialogue with citizens in “power with” and “power to” making the structural changes to institutions and policies that promote the empowerment of people?

Please comment in the box provided

Follow the Blog ‘Remembering the Forgotten, Giving Hope

Good Shepherd Mission Partners in Singapore Malaysia have started a blog to share information on the one month fund raising project launched on January 4, 2014  Click here to read Felicia’s account of the launch   www.gsrwcongo.wordpress.com

Attached is a copy of the appeal letter DRC-Appeal

Details of how to make a contribution are here.  Thank You!